SSheperd is right in that the tsuka length of Raptor series would NOT be a wise choice for Iaido. Neither would a Shinken without approval from your sensei or for first time iaido student regardless of what the Sensei says.
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Sub-$300 Katana for real cutting... recommendations please?
- Thread starter BePrepared
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SSheperd is right in that the tsuka length of Raptor series would NOT be a wise choice for Iaido. Neither would a Shinken without approval from your sensei or for first time iaido student regardless of what the Sensei says.
i was thinking somewhere around nidan
It's at the Sensei's discretion most of the time, that's what I was trying to say.
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please...your d-baggery is missing the point. you don't use a sharpened blade for iaido unless you are VERY good. That was my point.
An Iaito is a sword made for iaido, IOW an Iaido sword. If someone doesn't study the art, or know much about Japanese swords, throwing Japanese terms at them will do nothing but confuse.
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the long and short of it is, if i try to use shinken, i'd probably kill myself or someone else... I have zero skill at using a sword.
if it were a bowstaff, perhaps i'd be proficient enough, but a sharpened katana is not something i an qualified to use in kata
if it were a bowstaff, perhaps i'd be proficient enough, but a sharpened katana is not something i an qualified to use in kata
Then maybe they shouldn't be trying to learn how to use a Japanese sword by themselves. I admit I myself am not in a dojo but I did at least try to educate myself as best as I could, including learning different parts of a katana, how they are handled. Also reading (or more like viewing) manuscripts about the geometry of movements and slashes (German) to help prevent the trajectory of the blade from meeting any part of my body. Would read up on Japanese manuscripts but those are about as sparse as genuine JSA dojos, besides principle for body movements for fighting remain largely the same, after all the human body has not changed in a while
same rules apply as before.If they are truly interested in the sword (any culture for that matter) it would do them good to familiarize themselves with the commonly used terminology of the sword ( any culture). Specially with Japanese swords where you can find dozens upon dozens of illustrations and guides to the Japanese sword.
and your obviously talking out your ass., if you're going to give advise you better know what you're talking about. NO ONE calls them "an iaido sword". And you had no point other than "those are made for cutting". The only limiting factor to those swords for iaido are the shape if the kissaki and the leingth of the tsuka- and in some ryu a longer tsuka ia acceptable. Someone spending the money should be interested enough to learn the termonology. The only doushbag here is someone giving advice who doesn't know when to stay in their lane , to someone looking for help. Remember, you tried to correct me and were wrong- not the other way around.
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yea sorry, my 30 years in martial arts a good part of which are japanese arts including iaido and kendo mean nothing I guess. My point remains the same, and I was simplifying it for someone who has no knowledge of sword arts. Iaido has swords made specifically for it, and they are different than swords used for cutting. My bad if my simplifying it for someone offended you. From now on I will refer to them in ways that will confuse and discourage someone new...
Oh, and lighten up...this was a great thread till you decided to step all over it.
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Then maybe they shouldn't be trying to learn how to use a Japanese sword by themselves. I admit I myself am not in a dojo but I did at least try to educate myself as best as I could, including learning different parts of a katana, how they are handled. Also reading (or more like viewing) manuscripts about the geometry of movements and slashes (German) to help prevent the trajectory of the blade from meeting any part of my body. Would read up on Japanese manuscripts but those are about as sparse as genuine JSA dojos, besides principle for body movements for fighting remain largely the same, after all the human body has not changed in a while
If they are truly interested in the sword (any culture for that matter) it would do them good to familiarize themselves with the commonly used terminology of the sword ( any culture). Specially with Japanese swords where you can find dozens upon dozens of illustrations and guides to the Japanese sword.
While that is all good points, you dont NEED to know all the japanese terms and the nuances for practicing 5 hours a day in a dojo to enjoy a sword. You can get by with fundamentals on cutting and different strikes. Not remembering all the japanese terms has in no way impeded the enjoyment i get in drawing the sword and doing practice cuts, just as not knowing all the terms for a knife in ni way impedes me from enjoying the many customs I have or not knowing exactly how my guns work impede me from enjoying pulling out my PPQ and putting a few hundred rounds downrange.
Remember, you're not the only one here with decades in the martial arts. Say what you mean and don't "dumb things down because it's too complicated". it's hardly confusing and actually misleading to the OP who is looking for genuine advise.
And as far as a great thread, read over your own posts- you stepped on your own and have been corrected. Get over it.
I just hope the OP has taken genuine advise to heart.
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Nothin was "dumbed down" it was merely explained in a way the average person can understand. it IS confusing when you need to run off and utfg cuz you have no idea what somebody means when they throw these odd japanese terms at you, and IMO the terms are not needed to answe the posters question. All it does is make the person responding look arrogant IMO.
His questions were all answered, he is happy with the answers, and this little pissing match you started has no relevance to the thread at hand.
Yea, you sure corrected me, replaced a "D" with a "T". Get over yourself.
Okay. Glad you can have fun with little respect of the culture or the discipline required to respect it.
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too much tension....
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Just to stir the pot a bit, as it were,
not sure how a question about sub $300 katana suddenly merges into a p*ssing contest over the "finer" points of Iaido and japanese nomenclature, but I would suggest that for what you (the OP) want and if you're not particularly interested in "D's & T's" or the myriad schools of Iaido, Kenjutsu, Iaijutsu, or Battojutsu would be more up your street. Particularly as they lean towards the use of bokken and live swords and train more extensively using Tameshigiri.
Respect for the culture and the techniques is one thing, but a slavish devotion to and the automatic assumption of "Japanese superiority" in all things martial art related is ridiculous and ultimately betrays yourself and your own culture and background. You can live all your life in Japan, be more Japanese than most Japanese, but you will always be Iteki (and therefore inferior). The tendency to classify down to minutest levels and ascribe poetic terms to minutiae can be simultaneously an advantage and a disadvantage. It ensures that there's generally a descriptive term for most situations, but it also constantly reinforces the homogeneity that keeps Japanese society together. "The nail that stands proud gets hammerred flat". Miyamoto Musashi (kensei) was left handed. He learned to wield a sword right handed (because that was the "only way to wield a sword"). Because he was naturally left handed, he found he could use a sword in either hand and (thinking outside the box) decided to use a sword in both hands. None of this is typically Japanese and he wasn't particularly revered during his lifetime (especially by the myriad sword schools who were embarrassed by their defeat at the hands of an uncouth ruffian with no particular technique or sophistication).
You tend not to find such snobbery in the other forms of Japanese Martial Arts, simply because there is foreign competition, both from Gaijin within the organisations and also Iteki forms of combat that have equal merit.
not sure how a question about sub $300 katana suddenly merges into a p*ssing contest over the "finer" points of Iaido and japanese nomenclature, but I would suggest that for what you (the OP) want and if you're not particularly interested in "D's & T's" or the myriad schools of Iaido, Kenjutsu, Iaijutsu, or Battojutsu would be more up your street. Particularly as they lean towards the use of bokken and live swords and train more extensively using Tameshigiri.
Respect for the culture and the techniques is one thing, but a slavish devotion to and the automatic assumption of "Japanese superiority" in all things martial art related is ridiculous and ultimately betrays yourself and your own culture and background. You can live all your life in Japan, be more Japanese than most Japanese, but you will always be Iteki (and therefore inferior). The tendency to classify down to minutest levels and ascribe poetic terms to minutiae can be simultaneously an advantage and a disadvantage. It ensures that there's generally a descriptive term for most situations, but it also constantly reinforces the homogeneity that keeps Japanese society together. "The nail that stands proud gets hammerred flat". Miyamoto Musashi (kensei) was left handed. He learned to wield a sword right handed (because that was the "only way to wield a sword"). Because he was naturally left handed, he found he could use a sword in either hand and (thinking outside the box) decided to use a sword in both hands. None of this is typically Japanese and he wasn't particularly revered during his lifetime (especially by the myriad sword schools who were embarrassed by their defeat at the hands of an uncouth ruffian with no particular technique or sophistication).
You tend not to find such snobbery in the other forms of Japanese Martial Arts, simply because there is foreign competition, both from Gaijin within the organisations and also Iteki forms of combat that have equal merit.
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I'm not sure how this thread became a matter of the culture and discipline required to be a japanese martial artist. He asked a question about swords, his question was answered, so why don't we end this nonsense.
